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The Perils Of Art In The New Millenium

"Osama bin Laden slammed the publication of drawings insulting to the Prophet Muhammad in a new audio message posted late Wednesday and warned Europeans of a strong reaction to come.

The message, which appeared on a militant Web site that has carried al-Qaida statements in the past and bore the logo of the extremist group's media wing al-Sahab, showed a still image of bin Laden aiming with an AK-47.

A voice believed to be bin Laden's described the cartoons as taking place in the framework of a "new Crusade" against Islam and warned Europeans that a reaction would come.

"The response will be what you see and not what you hear and let our mothers bereave us if we do not make victorious our messenger of God," he said, without specifying what action would be taken."

So many people blame the US and decry its actions and say we're ultimately responsible for all these terror attacks etc.

Then, here's a peaceful country, never bothered anybody, who's citizens now have to worry about suicide bombers and assassins all because of a goddamn cartoon!

If it wasn't the cartoons, there'd be some other excuse for outrage. Women's bathing suits, short pants, men who don't have beards, going to church, not praying to their god, sports, flying kites (seriously, that was outlawed in Afghanistan).

It is our very existence which offends the muslim extremists. There is no appeasement which will satisfy them. If we cave in on the cartoons, then they'll just come back with the next freedom they want us to remove in the name of some bastardized twisting of diplomatic appeasement.

It is our very existence which offends the muslim extremists. There is no appeasement which will satisfy them. If we cave in on the cartoons, then they'll just come back with the next freedom they want us to remove in the name of some bastardized twisting of diplomatic appeasement.

Except that a depiction of Mohammed's face is considered blasphemy to all Muslims, not just the fundamentalists. It's idolatry to them. This isn't about "appeasement" so much as it's offensive and ethnocentric to assume that the Muslims who are not fanatical are just going to accept that countries outside of the Middle East are going to do stuff like this.

Personally, as an artist myself, I like to be at least somewhat sensitive to religions outside my paganism. Including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, and whatever other religion that exists.

Except that a depiction of Mohammed's face is considered blasphemy to all Muslims, not just the fundamentalists. It's idolatry to them. This isn't about "appeasement" so much as it's offensive and ethnocentric to assume that the Muslims who are not fanatical are just going to accept that countries outside of the Middle East are going to do stuff like this.

Personally, as an artist myself, I like to be at least somewhat sensitive to religions outside my paganism. Including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shinto, and whatever other religion that exists.

Huh? I can understand not going into their country and doing that. That’s perfectly fine and reasonable.

But to say that it’s not okay ANYWHERE? That the Danes don’t have the right to do whatever the hell they damn please in their own country if Muslims don’t like it?!?!

Wait a minute. I’m absolutely amazed by your assertion, if that is what it is. This is another sovereign nation and a free people and by what right does anybody of any religion have to decree somebody should die because they did not act in accordance with a religion they don’t even believe in?!?!

That’s craziness.

So it’s okay for them to bomb us because we don’t make our women wear veils? So we’re being offensive and ethnocentric if we eat pork here in our own damn country? So if a Dane draws a political cartoon (which is a valid comment about the state of the world and is actually news) in his OWN newspaper, they are being offensive and ethnocentric?! So it’s okay for them to be bombed and beheaded and kidnapped and live their lives in fear?

And not just Danes, but according to the statement - all Europeans should fear now.

Wow.

Mindsets like that are part of the problem. You can be sensitive as you want when portraying any and all religions – that’s fine. But it’s also your God-given right (as it is the Danes and the Europeans and all free Western nations) to NOT be as sensitive as you want to any and all religions.

As a matter of fact, here in the ol’ US of A (and in Denmark and Europe) you don’t have to believe in God at all and guess what? Nobody will come and kill you! Yep! That’s right! You’re free to believe what you want to believe!

You won’t be stoned or beheaded or made to wear a veil or beaten and imprisoned if you don’t happen to like men, or beaten if you don’t act the way a man wants (and nothing happens to the man as it’s his right according to law) or any such things if you choose to be who you want to be or choose not to believe in a religion.

For you to defend such actions displays a horrifying naivetť. For you to say that the Danes should show consideration for Muslims in another land when deciding how to live their lives in their own country is as ridiculous as saying we should not eat beef cuz Indians worship cows.

Huh? I can understand not going into their country and doing that. Thatís perfectly fine and reasonable.

But to say that itís not okay ANYWHERE? That the Danes donít have the right to do whatever the hell they damn please in their own country if Muslims donít like it?!?!

Wait a minute. Iím absolutely amazed by your assertion, if that is what it is. This is another sovereign nation and a free people and by what right does anybody of any religion have to decree somebody should die because they did not act in accordance with a religion they donít even believe in?!?!

Thatís craziness.

So itís okay for them to bomb us because we donít make our women wear veils? So weíre being offensive and ethnocentric if we eat pork here in our own damn country? So if a Dane draws a political cartoon (which is a valid comment about the state of the world and is actually news) in his OWN newspaper, they are being offensive and ethnocentric?! So itís okay for them to be bombed and beheaded and kidnapped and live their lives in fear?

And not just Danes, but according to the statement - all Europeans should fear now.

Wow.

Mindsets like that are part of the problem. You can be sensitive as you want when portraying any and all religions Ė thatís fine. But itís also your God-given right (as it is the Danes and the Europeans and all free Western nations) to NOT be as sensitive as you want to any and all religions.

As a matter of fact, here in the olí US of A (and in Denmark and Europe) you donít have to believe in God at all and guess what? Nobody will come and kill you! Yep! Thatís right! Youíre free to believe what you want to believe!

You wonít be stoned or beheaded or made to wear a veil or beaten and imprisoned if you donít happen to like men, or beaten if you donít act the way a man wants (and nothing happens to the man as itís his right according to law) or any such things if you choose to be who you want to be or choose not to believe in a religion.

For you to defend such actions displays a horrifying naivetť. For you to say that the Danes should show consideration for Muslims in another land when deciding how to live their lives in their own country is as ridiculous as saying we should not eat beef cuz Indians worship cows.

For you to defend such actions displays a horrifying naivetť. For you to say that the Danes should show consideration for Muslims in another land when deciding how to live their lives in their own country is as ridiculous as saying we should not eat beef cuz Indians worship cows.

For Goddess' sake, I wasn't defending the death threats, and I certainly wasn't saying that people should censor themselves. I was saying to Joe that all Muslims get offended when their Prophet's face is depicted, not just the fanatical ones, and that we shouldn't be surprised when Muslims do get offended when Mohammed is depicted.

I'm also calling for a little sensitivity here. That's not the same as outright censorship.